Colombia beat DR Congo 1-0, Daniel Muñoz’s low strike in the 76th minute sealing their place in the World Cup round of 32. Over the course of the match, the South American side deserved all three points, but the contest was far tenser than the scoreline suggested — DR Congo goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi repeatedly kept Colombia at bay, and the visitors came close to changing the complexion of the game in the opening stages.
Drama from the opening whistle
The roar of Colombia fans in the stands nearly drowned out the referee’s whistle, and the tempo was already high inside the first two minutes. Edo Kayembe let fly from outside the box, the ball flashing past the outside of the post — DR Congo were mere centimeters away from a dream start. Almost in the same sequence, Colombia worked the ball down the right and into the box, John Arias’ fierce shot from inside the six-yard area parried by Mpasi, with Daniel Muñoz following up but somehow firing wide — had that gone in, the story of the first half would have been entirely different.
Colombia came again shortly after, and this time Muñoz found the net, but the assistant referee raised his flag and the goal was ruled out for offside. Around the 15-minute mark, Mpasi was once again the headline act: Luis Díaz steered in a close-range effort from a tight angle, and Mpasi flung himself to tip the ball behind for a corner. By the time of the first-half hydration break, Colombia had managed five shots on target and held the upper hand in possession and pressing, yet the scoreboard remained stuck at 0-0.
Dominance on the numbers, deadlock on the scoreboard
Site data shows Colombia lined up in a 4-3-3, registering 20 shots with nine on target, 64% possession, 540 passes and an 88% completion rate; DR Congo sat deep in a 5-3-2, managing eight shots with just one on target and 36% possession. On the FIFA rankings, Colombia sit 13th and DR Congo 46th—the gap on paper was magnified on the pitch, yet Néstor Lorenzo's side still lacked the killer instinct in front of goal.
After the restart, little changed. Mpasi produced a fine save to deny Díaz, then Arias skewed wide unmarked inside the box—two golden chances squandered, and the tension was etched on Colombian faces. DR Congo pinned their hopes on Kayembe's long switches and pace down the flanks, looking to trade less possession for more lethal transitions, but Lorenzo did not dial back the pressing after half-time.
76 minutes: Muñoz delivers
The deadlock was not broken until the 76th minute. After a sequence of passes down Colombia's right, Muñoz surged into the box and hammered the ball into the far corner—his second goal of the tournament, and the only shot that truly beat Mpasi all afternoon. The Crystal Palace full-back sent Colombia into the knockout rounds with a low drive, as red and yellow cards rippled through the stands and the bench rose as one.
After the goal, Díaz twice put the ball in the net, only to see both efforts ruled out for a foul and offside respectively. Colombia endured two nerve-shredding defensive moments in stoppage time as DR Congo pushed forward for set pieces, but Lorenzo's men held firm. At the final whistle the scoreline read 1-0, yet the match had made one thing clear: without Mpasi, this would not have been a clean sheet.
Group picture and final-round talking points
With all three points secured, Colombia have moved to the top of Group K, two points clear of Portugal. On the final matchday this weekend, Nestor Lorenzo's side face Portugal, coached by Roberto Martinez — a win or a draw would be enough to clinch first place in the group; at the same time, DR Congo take on Uzbekistan and still have a chance to claim their first-ever World Cup victory.
On paper, Colombia have already booked their place in the knockout stage; the real intrigue on the final matchday is who finishes first and the potential Round of 16 matchups that come with it. Portugal remain the stronger side on paper — fifth in the FIFA rankings with 1,763.83 points — but Colombia's 20 shots and nine on target in this game show their attack is clicking; how efficiently Munoz converts after overlapping down the right could be the decisive factor in the final round. For DR Congo, Mpashe stood tall all game between the posts, almost single-handedly keeping the margin to one goal — if he can maintain that form in the last match, a historic first win is not out of the question.
For us, Colombia ticked off qualification with a game they were expected to win but did not win comfortably; the direct showdown with Portugal next will test whether Nestor Lorenzo can turn possession dominance into more consistent scoring in a high-stakes clash.
